Compare towns
Orange vs Barre vs Sharon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Orange has the most people working from home (20.8%).
Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).
Sharon has the most expensive homes ($476k median).
What matters to you?
Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.
| Measure | Orange | Barre | Sharon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 320Lowest |
8,412Highest |
442 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -6.2% U.S.: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 41.3±9.1Lowest 6% above U.S. |
42.2±6.6 8% above U.S. |
49.4±11.2Highest 27% above U.S. |
| Sharon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.6%±5.6 U.S.: 22% |
13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
22.4%±8.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Sharon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20%±5 U.S.: 17.2% |
19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
31.4%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Sharon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 37.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
41.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
1.6%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Orange and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $118,750±$39kHighest 47% above U.S. |
$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S. |
$113,125±$19k 40% above U.S. |
| Orange and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $302,600±$35k 9% below U.S. |
$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S. |
$475,900±$38kHighest 43% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S. |
$1,458±$1kHighest 3% above U.S. |
| Sharon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,132Lowest 65% above U.S. |
$5,192 66% above U.S. |
$8,274Highest 165% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
34.4%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
28.6%±100 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Barre and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 97.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
93.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S. |
1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1979 1 yr older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min 6% above U.S. |
19 minLowest 30% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 21% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 20.8%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
11.2%±4.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Orange and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #19 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | — |
| High school in town | — | Spaulding Union High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.